Pirates' Oneil Cruz Hits Leadoff Homer vs. Dodgers
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PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz displayed his power once again in the leadoff spot.
Cruz faced Los Angeles Dodgers right-handed pitcher Roki Sasaki, leading off again at Dodgers Stadium in the second game of the series.
He saw just one pitch that veered a little bit out of the zone and swung on it, blasting it all the way out over the center field wall for a solo home run, giving the Pirates a 1-0 lead.
ONEIL CRUZ WITH ANOTHER LEADOFF HOME RUN pic.twitter.com/m70eKQgGla
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) April 27, 2025
This is the fourth leadoff home run for Cruz this week, as he has excelled in that spot, giving the Pirates a boost early on in the lineup.
He leadoff with a homer in back-to-back games at PNC Park vs. the Washington Nationals on April 17 and the Cleveland Guardians on April 18. He also opened the 3-0 win over the Los Angeles Angels on April 24 with a home run as well.
That is also Cruz's eighth home run on the season, tying him for second most in the National League, alongside Dodgers second baseman Tommy Edman, Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suárez, San Diego Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis and Washington Nationals left fielder James Wood. Diamondbacks right fielder Corbin Carroll leads the National League with nine home runs
He also hit his first grand slam in the bottom of the eighth inning of the 6-1 win vs. the Nationals on Apri 16.
Cruz has slashed .264/.365/.575 for an OPS of .940, with 23 hits in 87 at-bats, three doubles, 15 RBIs and 14 walks to 26 strikeouts in 25 games this season.
He also has stolen 12 bases, which leads the National League, alongside Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete-Crow Armstrong.
Cruz also also lead off 10 of the past 12 games, with 13 hits in 40 at-bats, hitting .325 in those games with five home runs, six RBIs, two doubles. He leads the MLB with those four leadoff home runs.
The Pirates acquired Cruz from the Dodgers on July 31, 2017, as he and Angel German went to Pittsburgh and left-handed relief pitcher Tony Watson went to Los Angeles.
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.